


One of These Days

by darkomoth



Category: Daredevil (TV)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Artist Reader, Asshole boyfriend, Domestic Violence, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Neighbors, POV Matt Murdock, Physical Abuse, Protective Matt Murdock, Reader-Insert, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-18
Updated: 2020-04-22
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:01:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23715592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darkomoth/pseuds/darkomoth
Summary: Matt helps a girl move into the apartment across from him. He hears some things he probably shouldn't have and now he can't help but get involved.Trigger warning for domestic abuse
Relationships: Matt Murdock/Reader
Comments: 11
Kudos: 95





	1. Chapter 1

Matt was alone in his apartment on a Sunday afternoon, preparing for a deposition, when he first heard the girl. Her footfalls were light and her breathing ragged as she hauled box after box into her new living space which just so happened to be right across from him.

He tried to ignore her in an attempt to focus on all the work he was behind on, but he couldn’t seem to manage it. She was all alone with no one to help get her situated into her new place.

Matt could hear her through the terribly thin walls of the complex, muttering to herself. It was actually quite endearing, the way she would drop a box a little too hard and whisper “shit,” or how she had only one line of a song stuck in her head that she couldn’t help but sing over and over again. He smiled at how her personality shined through despite not knowing anybody was around to witness it.

Just as Matt was seriously considering introducing himself and lending a hand, he heard her phone ring. She picked up and he could hear a man’s voice on the other end. “Hey, babe. You almost done with the boxes?”

“Yeah, only some furniture pieces left that I’m dreading,” She laughed. “When will you be here?”

“Soon. Have some work left to do at the office. Make sure you have dinner done when I get home, I’ve been craving your famous home-cooked lasagna.”

“Yeah, I-I’ll try. Just gotta get situated here first.” There was a small pause before he answered.

“Alright. See you later.”

“Love you-” She tried to say as the line disconnected. Matt heard her let out a long sigh, then walk back outside where the moving truck was. 

The conversation he had overheard was strange to say the least. He tried not to dwell on it, however. He felt enough like a stalker eavesdropping on her personal phone call, he didn’t need to overanalyze anything. However, he did still feel the urge to help out, especially since he now knew of the heavy lifting she would have to do alone.

Matt stood up from where he sat on his couch, surrounded by papers, and walked out the front door. He made his way outside with his walking stick and feigned ignorance when he approached her.

“Hi there.” He smiled at her as she walked towards him, chair in hand.

“Oh, hi!” She said. “Can I help you with something?” She had obviously noticed his apparent blindness and set down her chair to talk to him.

“Actually I was wondering if you needed any help. Couldn’t help but overhear the sounds of my new neighbor moving in, thought I could lend a hand.” 

She seemed apprehensive to answer, probably wondering how a blind man could help move furniture without injuring himself. “I, uh- I’m not sure-”

“Trust me, I know this building inside and out. It wouldn’t be a problem.”

“You sure? Don’t want to burden you.” She cracked a small smile.

“Absolutely. Matt Murdock,” He introduced himself with an outstretched hand.

She took it gladly, “Y/n.”

-

After an hour or so of lifting tables, beds, and couches, y/n invited Matt to stay for a drink as a thank you.

“So how long you lived here, Matt?” She asked, handing him a beer. She sat down in a chair across from where he sat on the couch.

“A couple years, but I’ve lived in Hell’s Kitchen my whole life. How ‘bout you?”

“Only just moved to New York six months ago. I grew up in Southern California, not far from LA. Thought a change of scenery would be nice.”

“Ah, yes. The skyscrapers and rats are quite lovely on the east coast.” That made her bust out laughing.

“Well I’ve always been a sucker for small animals. Also I’ve heard many good things about the pizza.” It was Matt’s turn to laugh.

“There’s a great place just around the corner from here if you’re interested.” He heard her hold her breath for a moment and her heartbeat quickened, just slightly. And then he remembered the guy on the phone and him calling her “babe.”

“I would love to, but I have to get dinner started for my boyfriend. He should’ve been back already actually.” She says while standing up, and heading for the kitchen.

Matt lets out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding, not willing to admit to himself he was just the slightest bit disappointed. It’s not like he didn’t know she was taken when he offered his help.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to keep you.” He stands and prepares himself to leave, but she turns back towards him.

“Oh no, you’re not at all! Please, stay for dinner, you’ve helped me so much and I really appreciate it.” Matt can tell she’s wringing her hands together, probably a nervous habit she’s picked up due to anxiety. He smiles at her and nods.

“Alright, if you insist.”

“Good, because I do.” Y/n laughs, much more lighthearted than she was just a few seconds ago. That makes him happy.

She begins getting out the ingredients for the lasagna and starts preheating the oven. Matt wants to help out, but knows that he can’t do so without exposing his capabilities. So he just takes a seat on the stool at the island counter right across from where she’s cooking and keeps her company.

Not even ten minutes later they hear the front door opening. “Honey, I’m home!” Came a sarcastic male voice.

“In the kitchen!” She yelled back. Matt couldn’t tell if it was from excitement or nerves, but her heart rate picked up.

A black-haired man, just about Matt’s height rounded the corner and into the kitchen where he saw the two of them. His smile dropped but he was quick to force it back. “Hello, I’m Derreck.” 

Matt knew he was holding out his hand towards him, but he just smiled and replied. “Hi, Matthew, from across the hall.”

Derreck must’ve realized why he hadn’t taken his hand and awkwardly retracted it, which was pretty amusing. “Oh, well, good to meet you. I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot of one another.” The irony in his choice of words was not lost on any of them. Derreck looked back towards y/n and Matt could feel the shift in body language. Suddenly, she was much more tense, breathing shakily and shifting her weight from foot to foot.

“I-I’ve just been making dinner. Thought I would invite Matt here to eat with us as a thank you for helping me out today.” It was odd, the way she justified her decisions to him, but Matt said nothing.

“Great. That’s great, I’m going to unpack some things in our room. Let me know when you’re done.” His tone took on a hard edge and it made Matt uneasy. He seemed to have an abrasive personality which could take some getting used to. Derreck grabbed y/n’s arm and kissed her on the cheek, which made her flinch just a little.

As soon as he disappeared behind the bedroom door, both Matt and y/n let out a small sigh.

“He seems fun.” He said at an attempt to lighten the mood.

Y/n just rolled her eyes, but smiled nonetheless.


	2. Chapter 2

It was another forty minutes before y/n was finished cooking. Matt hadn’t minded. He barely noticed the time pass as they talked. She eventually asked about how he came to be blind, which he didn’t mind. It was easy being around her, like it was with Foggy when they first met in college.

He told her about the accident and she called him a hero for pushing that man out of the way and saving his life. Matt politely refuted, but blushed all the same.

“So, how long have you and Derreck been together?” Matt asked.

“About five months. I met him pretty soon after moving to the city, started dating not long after.” She replied, not quite looking at him. He could tell her mind was somewhere else and he tried to snap her back to reality.

“I think your lasagna’s on fire.” Matt said with an exaggerated sniff.

“Oh shit!” She exclaimed which made him chuckle. Y/n quickly pulled out the lightly burnt pasta and waved her hand above it to clear the smoke. “Not un-edible.”

She placed the pan on top of the stove and began cutting out slices to put on each of their plates. Matt offered to set the table while she went and got Derreck.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure I could find my way to the table.” He said in response to her worried expression.

“Alrighty.” She answered.

Once y/n was out of the room, he swiftly gathered up all three plates and set them down neatly on the small wooden dining table.

She returned with an unhappy boyfriend, but was smiling regardless.

“Okay, sit down, I’ll get you guys drinks. Matt, what would you like? I’ve got beer, coke, or water.” 

“Water’s fine, thank you.” He said, and took a seat after dramatically patting the air in search of the chair.

Just as she was out of ear-shot, Derreck decided to start a conversation. “So, Matthew, what do you do?” He got the vibe that he wasn’t really interested, but he answered anyway.

“I’m a lawyer. Me and my partner just recently started our own practice together.”

“Wow, that’s really cool.” Y/n said as she returned with two waters and a beer.

“I don’t know about cool, but it’s certainly exciting.” Matt laughed.

“That takes a lot of guts. Starting your own business, working for yourself. You must enjoy that.” She said after taking a bite of her food.

“Yeah, I do. Though my partner had a very different idea on how much money we’d be making as fancy New York lawyers.”

“How does that work? You being a blind lawyer? I mean, there’s lots of paperwork involved in that occupation isn’t there?” Derreck asked, rather bluntly.

“Derreck.” Y/n said.

“No, it’s alright. Yes, there is a ton of paperwork involved, but it’s easy to get all of it transcribed into braille.” Matt replied, not in the least bit fazed. He’s heard much worse from assholes over the course of his life.

The night carried on for close to an hour. When they were finished, y/n had insisted he take some leftovers for whenever he gets hungry and he politely accepted because damn, was the lasagna good. 

“Thanks again for helping me out today. I would’ve died without you.”

Matt knows it’s an exaggeration, but he can’t help the warmth that spread through his chest at her words. “It was my pleasure. Next time you two should come over to my place and I can order take out.” He chuckled.

“We’d love to.” Y/n said with a wide grin. Derreck gave a passive nod, and with that he took his remaining food and walked back to his apartment.

His deposition was so screwed.

-

The next day, Matt arrived at work a whole five minutes late. He knows this because Foggy has not stopped reminding him since the moment he walked in.

“Where were you? I was about to reach out to Mahoney to put a BOLO on you.” Foggy stated rather dramatically.

“Oh please, like Brett would do anything for you because you asked him to.” Matt joked.

“Uh, for your information, me and Brett are best of friends. While you’re out wooing you’re next door neighbor, I’ve been out drinking with my old pal.”

“Wooing’s a bit strong, especially considering she has a boyfriend.”

“Yeah, but you wouldn't have felt the need to tell me about her last night had you not liked her so much.” Foggy said with a hint of teasing in his voice.

“Matt likes somebody? Wow, that’s a first.” Karen helpfully pitched in as she came through the door with coffee in hand.

“I like lots of people!” Matt exclaimed.

“Name one person you like that is not me or Karen.” Foggy said in that same teasing tone.

“Captain America.”

“Someone you know personally.” Karen adds.

“Who says I don’t?” Matt laughs.

“Whatever, you’re hopeless. Let’s go over our evidence, the depo starts in three hours.” Foggy says, giving up.


	3. Chapter 3

A few days pass before Matt sees y/n again. He’s been spending more and more time at the office now that clients are actually starting to pile in. He’s even taken to sleeping there a couple of times.

When he does see her again, he’s finally coming home just as she’s leaving.

“Matt! Hi, haven’t seen you in a while.” Y/n says after locking her front door. She seemed tense before, but was more relaxed after seeing him.

“Yeah, sorry, just been busy. Turns out there are way more people in need of legal help than my partner and I thought.” Matt says with both hands clasped on top of his walking stick.

“Well are we still invited for dinner someday?” She asked with a small smile.

“Of course. Actually, why not tomorrow? We can get pizza from that place I told you about?”

She nodded. “Yeah, that sounds nice. Derreck actually won’t be here tomorrow, though. He’s leaving in the morning to go visit his sister.” Y/n said while fiddling with the keys in her hands.

“What a shame.” Matt said, not being able to withhold the smirk that crept up on his face. “Guess we’ll just have to enjoy each other’s company.”

She let out a small breathy laugh, “I know, it’s tragic. I’m sure we’ll manage though.” She took a couple steps in his direction. “I was just about to head out, have some errands to get done. I’ll see you tomorrow Matt.”

“Looking forward to it.” He replied. 

Y/n left with a wide smile on her face that she assumed he would never know about, but he did, and it was infectious.

-

Matt could hear y/n arrive home a couple hours later with a very drunk boyfriend in tow. Her hand was wrapped around Derreck’s wrist and she was pulling him along towards their apartment.

“Come one, let's get you to bed.” Y/n said as quietly and patiently as possible.

“Don’t treat me like a child.” Derreck replied, ripping his arm away from her. He stumbled back and held himself up against Matt’s door. “God, you are such a buzzkill, I was having a good time!”

“You were losing all of your cash to some asshole who was hustling you.” She stated, matter of factly. Y/n opened their door and walked in, then waited for him to follow. Instead, he just stood out in the hallway, like a child who was throwing a tantrum. “Damn it Derreck, please come inside. I’ll make you some coffee, get you sobered up.”

“I don’t want any fucking coffee.” He muttered, but walked inside anyway. Not without slamming the door behind him, however. 

The conversation so far had Matt disliking Derreck more and more. He was a drunk idiot who didn’t deserve someone like y/n taking care of him. Matt was snapped out his thoughts when he heard glass shatter.

“Shit!” He heard y/n exclaim.

“God damn it y/n! You ruin everything!” Derreck yelled at her. Matt heard him take quick strides over to where she knelt by the glass shards and yank her up by her hair.

She yelped in surprise, “Ah! Stop! Let me go!”

Derreck stumbled a bit, still heavily intoxicated, then threw her to the ground with a loud thud. “Clean this up.” He said before making his way to their bedroom.

Matt felt a surge of anger flow through him and he shot up from where he sat on his couch. The thought of that asshole putting his hands on y/n, hurting her, made him want to beat Derreck to a pulp. He considered putting on the black suit and climbing in through their window, but thought better of it when he heard y/n’s crying. The last thing she needed tonight was any more violence.

She sat on the floor with her arms wrapped around her legs, and her head resting on her knees. She was sniffling, trying hard to stop herself from making any noise. It made Matt’s heart break.

He stopped his pacing and decided to walk over there. When he knocked on her door, y/n immediately stopped crying. She took in a deep breath and shakily got to her feet. “J-just a minute!” She shouted while wiping the remaining tears off her face hastily.

Quickly, y/n swept up the broken glass and threw it in a trash bag, then brushed herself off, making sure everything looked normal. Covering up what that dick did to her. It made Matt furious.

“Okay.” She whispered to herself. Y/n took another deep breath and forced a smile before making her way towards the door.

When she opened it, her smile became more relaxed. More genuine.

“Matt. Hi, what’s up?” She said, crossing her arms over her chest. It was weird how good she was at lying. If it weren’t for her erratic pulse, Matt would’ve most likely never known anything was wrong.

“Just wanted to check up on you. Thought I heard glass breaking.” He said, trying to remain as calm as possible.

“Oh, yeah. I was just being clumsy. Always creating disaster.” She joked.

“I’m sure that’s not true. Do you need any help?” Matt asked, with more weight behind the words than was expected. He knew she wouldn’t accept, though. Not when she went through all the trouble to look presentable before opening the door.

“No, that’s okay. I’ve got it all handled now, nothing to worry about.”

Somehow he doubted that was true. “Well I’m always here if you need me.” He said as sincerely as possible. Y/n’s face fell a little as she let out a silent sigh. “For anything at all.” He added.

It took a few seconds for her to respond. She swallowed and nodded, “Thank you. It was good seeing you. I look forward to tomorrow night, if you still want me that is.” Then her smile reappeared.

Matt let out a small chuckle, “Who wouldn’t want you?” It came off more flirty than he intended, but he sensed the heat rising in y/n’s cheeks and he decided he didn’t regret it.

“You should tell that to my exes.” 

“Anytime.”


	4. Chapter 4

The next day rolled around and Matt was excited. Logically, he knew this wasn’t a date. However, his brain always reverted back to thinking about y/n. Her voice, her nervous mannerisms, her intense kindness. It made his heart jump a little.

He was hoping that by the time dinner came, he will have worked up the courage to ask her about the situation with Derreck. He knew that he couldn’t though. Not without admitting he heard everything through the walls, exposing who/what he was.

Until then, however, he had work to do.

At Nelson & Murdock Attorneys At Law, clients started pouring in. Their front room was full of people, guilty or not, in need of their help.

“We’re gonna need to hire someone new to help out if things stay like this.” Foggy says, rifling through files.

“You saying I’m not enough, Mr. Nelson?” Karen asks with feigned offense.

“I’m saying that if there were such a thing as cloning machines, I’d make at least three more of you.” Foggy replies with a sly smile.

“Nice recovery.” Matt remarks with a smirk.

“I thought so.” Foggy says, finally pulling out the file he was searching for.

“Unfortunately for both of you, there is only one Karen Page, and that is the way it’s going to stay. However, I can see the benefits of a new assistant. We’re drowning in papers and I have no idea what half of them are for.” She says, exasperated.

“I’m sure we’ll figure it out. We still barely make enough to pay the rent on this ‘palace’ as Foggy so eloquently deemed it, not sure we could afford another team member.” Matt laughs.

“Then hire an intern. Offer, ya’know, work experience or whatever.” Karen said. “I’m going to organize this mess to the best of my abilities.” She adds, hauling a box of miscellaneous files into the next room. “Hope to see you again in the near future.”

Matt knows they’re right. He hadn’t expected the sudden boom in business recently, but it certainly helped their financial situation. Sure, many of their cases were still pro bono, however, some were able to pay in full. It kept the lights on at least.

The day went on as per usual. They met with at least a dozen new prospective clients and tried their best to split the work up evenly. It took the whole morning and afternoon, but Matt made sure to finish before dusk.

“See you all tomorrow.” He said, packing up his belongings.

“Tell your girlfriend we said hi.” Foggy smiled, not looking up from the work at his desk.

“Not my girlfriend.” Matt says as he grabs his coat and glides out the front door.

“Not yet.” Karen whispers to Foggy with a considerable amount of certainty in her voice. It made him chuckle lightly to himself.

-

Matt arrived home soon after and decided not to change his clothes. Almost everyone in his life agrees that he looks best in a suit. He decides to take their word for it.

He had just started washing his face when he heard a knock at the door. An involuntary smile makes its way onto his face as he hears y/n’s quiet singing to herself. “You can drive all night looking for the answers in the pouring rain, you wanna find peace of mind, looking for the answers…” She taps her foot and continues humming as she waits for him.

He dries himself off and rushes across the living room to open the door. She smiles every time she sees him, despite not knowing he can sense it. That thought doesn’t help to dissuade his growing feelings.

“Hi.” Y/n says. “You ready to eat?”

“Always.” Matt grabs his coat and locks the door behind him. Y/n links arms with him, seemingly to guide him, and the contact makes him warmer than any jacket could.

“How far is it?” She asks.

“Only a block.” He taps his cane down the sidewalk as they make their way towards the pizza place. “I don’t think I ever asked what it is you do.”

“Nothing as exciting as a lawyer.” Y/n laughs. “I’m just a freelance artist. Work from home, that kinda thing.”

“Well I don’t know all that much about art, but I’m sure you’re great at it. And for what it’s worth, that does sound exciting.” Matt says. “Do you like it?”

“Oh yeah, I love it. Always have.” She replies, obviously very passionate about her work, but not used to speaking about it, it seems. “I used to make the biggest messes in my bedroom, with paint and pencils and papers everywhere. Well, I say used to, but it still happens.”

Matt laughs at that. “I can only imagine.”

They arrive pretty quickly, the neon sign that spells out “Alfredo’s Pizza” buzzes above their heads as they walk through the front door. Matt leads y/n towards the regular booth that he and Foggy tend to take before sitting down across from her.

“This place is amazing. Don’t know why I’ve never been here before, it’s so close.” She states, taking in her surroundings. From what he understands from Foggy, the entire place is Italian themed, with large flags and green, white, and red lights strung up all around the walls. 

“A true secret gem of Hell’s Kitchen.” He smiles.

A man comes to take their order and Matt just asks for his regular after learning that y/n also likes classic pepperoni.

“So, tell me more about your art.” Matt says when their food finally arrives.

“Well, for my customers it’s usually just portrait commissions. People tend to use it as a gift for their loved ones. Every once in a while, I’ll receive a request from a company for something more professional that they can use on their website.” Y/n explains.

“And the art that you do for yourself?” He asks.

“I like drawing people. Strangers on the train or in coffee shops who don’t know anyone’s around that notices them. People-watching is a real good way to pass the time.” She says. “I like all forms of art. Drawing, painting, traditional, digital, whatever. They’re all fun.”

Matt likes the way she talks about her passion for art. He knows he won’t be able to fully understand the extent of her talent, but he can appreciate what he can.

“That’s incredible. I can’t imagine working from home, though. I enjoy the city too much.”

“I get out every now and then, but I do like the isolation. I especially like it now that I’ve moved here.”

“Why’s that?”

“Friendly neighbors.” Y/n smiles behind the piece of pizza in her hand. Matt returns it gladly.

“I’m happy to be of service.” He chuckles.

They talk more about their jobs and families for a while and Matt learns that y/n has four siblings. Two older, two younger, which leaves her right in the middle. He tells her about being an only child and his father's death which she tries to console him about, but he only waves her off. It isn’t something that needs to be delved into so early in their friendship.

Matt learns about how both y/n’s parents died in a hit-and-run accident a few years ago. She doesn’t talk about that at length either, which he can more than understand.

“Do you stay in contact with any of your siblings?” Matt asks.

Y/n nods, “Sometimes. A lot of our schedules conflict so it’s hard.” She says. “None of them live in the city, so I haven’t actually seen any of them for a while. My two older brothers are both in the military, and my two younger sisters are still living with my aunt back in California.”

“That’s gotta be hard. Being around all of them so much growing up and then suddenly… not.”

She lets out a deep sigh, “Yeah, well, people drift apart.” She sounded sad and he could tell her mind was somewhere else now, so he tried to distract her.

“You gonna finish that?” He asks, pointing towards the last slice of pizza in the box.

“Go for it.” Y/n laughs. “How did you know there was only one left anyway?”

“Sixth sense. Or fifth, technically.”

That got her laughing even harder which instantly made him feel better.

Matt tried with every fiber of his being not to develop feelings for y/n. But it got harder and harder as the night went on. He liked how she tucked her hair behind both of her ears at the same time. How she would sweep up the crumbs on the table with her hand and place it in a napkin which she would then throw away. And especially how she didn’t hesitate to make jokes at his expense, not treating him like he was made of glass. He just _liked_ her.

Shit.


	5. Chapter 5

The night ended when Matt heard y/n’s silent yawns that she was trying very hard not to let him notice. He subtly hinted at how late it was and how both of them would be getting tired soon, and then they headed back towards their building.

“Goodnight.” Y/n said sleepily as they stood between their respective doors. “Thank you for the pizza. And your company.”

“No problem. You can drop by whenever you’d like.” Matt replied. He hadn’t expected the sudden hug that y/n gave him after that. Her head laid firmly against his chest, tucked under his chin, and her arms wrapped snugly around his middle. He was quick to reciprocate, holding her tight against him. He was surprised at how natural it felt, their bodies fitting together perfectly.

After a few moments y/n pulled away and said, “Thanks again.” She disappeared through her door and he was left alone in the hallway to think about what had just happened.

Matt walked into his apartment after a minute of just smiling to himself. He gave up fighting the notion that he was romantically attracted to her and instead fell asleep to the memory of her warmth wrapped around him, holding him close.

-

It was early the next morning when Matt heard Derreck return. Too early. His alarm, which was set for 7:00 am, was yet to go off, and he was more than a little annoyed.

Derreck’s keys dangled loudly as he unlocked his front door and stomped inside. He was angry. Shocker.

Matt gave up trying to go back to sleep and rolled out of bed to make himself a pot of coffee. He never intentionally sets out to eavesdrop on conversations, unless it was related to his nightly activities, but he didn’t stop himself often either. Today was no different.

He could hear Derreck make his way into his and y/n’s bedroom where she was still soundly asleep. He started out by whispering “babe” a few times to wake her up, but eventually got tired of that not working, so he shook her shoulder forcefully. It startled her awake and Matt became a hundred times more annoyed than he was when he was first woken up.

“W-what are you doing here? I thought you were gonna be gone a few more days.” Y/n asked groggily.

_If only_ , Matt thought.

“Sorry to disappoint.” Derreck snapped.

She let out a sigh and said, “You know that’s not what I meant.” She sat up and wiped the sleep from her eyes. “I’m glad you’re back, I missed you.”

Matt wasn’t a hundred percent sure if it was from being startled awake, or if she was lying, but her heart was racing. He suspected it may have been a little of both.

“Yeah, I’m sure. Is that why you went on a date with Matthew last night?”

Matt didn’t know how he knew and he didn’t care. The accusatory tone he took with her when she had been nothing but respectful towards their relationship was sickening to say the least.

“It wasn’t a date. I-I told you last night that I just went to get some food with him.” Y/n said, reaching out towards him, but he just pulled away.

“Well I want you to stop. Stop seeing Matthew, stop calling your sisters so much, just stop!” Derreck yelled which made her flinch in response. When he didn’t get an answer right away, he grabbed y/n by the wrist and twisted it. “Are you going to stop?”

“Ow! You’re hurting me! L-let go!” She yelled and tried to pull away, but it only made it worse.

This was the second time this has happened. _Second time I know about_ , Matt thought. The familiar urge to punch Derreck’s face in resurfaced with a vengeance. He paced in his kitchen growing more furious.

“I’ll stop! Please!” Y/n finally said what he wanted to hear and he let her go.

“You know I don’t like hurting you.” Derreck stated. “I wish you wouldn’t make me.”

Matt was sick to his stomach, hearing all of this.

“Come on, why don’t you make us some breakfast. I’m gonna go take a shower.” He said in a much smoother voice than he’d used just a few seconds ago. He grabbed her face in between his hands and kissed her forehead. She nodded quickly when he let go and didn’t let out the air in her lungs until he was out of sight. Y/n stayed seated on the bed for a bit, trying to calm herself, not very successfully. Tears gathered in her eyes but she blinked it away and set out to cook breakfast.

Matt had no idea what to do with any of this. He thought about slamming Derreck’s head into a brick wall repeatedly after breaking each of his fingers. However, that seemed excessive. No, instead he made a plan to follow him for the next few days. Learn his routine, get to know what makes him tick, and then strike. Because no way in hell was he about to leave y/n alone with a man like that. Matt has heard too many horror stories of women who end up dead by the hands of their boyfriends/husbands and he will be damned if he was going to let it happen to her.

He called Foggy and gave a weak explanation as to why he wouldn’t be in today, but it seemed to do the trick. Matt settled in for a day of surveilling the next door prick. He decided he would at least be productive while waiting and got to work on some of his cases.

The morning stretched into the afternoon and nothing of significance had happened yet. Y/n stayed in their room painting. Derreck was in the living room watching television and drinking. Then he called out to her, “Hey, babe! Come out here!”

Matt could hear y/n crack her neck and roll her shoulders, having stayed in one position for too long, and then let out a sigh. “One second!” She stood and stretched out the rest of her body before slowly walking into the living room.

“Watch the game with me.” Derreck said and motioned for her to sit down next to him.

“I would, I’ve just got this commission to finish. I’m almost done-”

“Sit down.” He cut her off, completely dismissing what she had said.

Y/n stood still for a moment, probably deciding on the best thing to do. Then she quietly made her way towards the couch and sat next to Derreck, leaving only a small space between them. He didn’t seem to like that as he pulled her into his side, his arm wrapped tightly around her shoulder, forcing her head into the crook of his neck. 

She was so tense, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Matt could sense her discomfort so vividly and he wasn’t even in the same room as her. There’s no way Derreck didn’t feel it too. If he did, he didn’t mention it. Matt really did not want to stand idly by anymore. Even their normal, everyday interactions when Derreck wasn’t physically hurting her were concerning. He didn’t know how y/n had managed to date this guy for half a year.

Only ten minutes had gone by before y/n said, “I’m gonna get some water, do you want anything?” She pulled herself away from Derreck’s grip and got up.

“Beer,” was all he said in response.

Matt could hear her in the kitchen opening the fridge and searching for his drink. “Think we’re out.”

“Then go get some more.” Derreck said, annoyed.

She bit her lip, most likely stopping herself from saying something that would make him angry and instead went with, “okay.” Y/n put on her shoes and grabbed her wallet. Matt wanted to go with her, maybe coincidentally run into her in the hallway and invite himself along, but he decided against it. He needed some time to observe Derreck when he was alone.

As soon as she had left the building, Derreck pulled out his phone and called someone. It took a few seconds before they picked up.

“Hello?” Came a girl's voice on the other end.

“Hey, honey. Just wanted to check in, say sorry for rushing out so early this morning.”

“It’s okay, I know you’re busy. Just wish you were around more. I miss you.”

This really did not sound like a brother-sister conversation.

“How ‘bout I come over tonight? We can go out, have a good time?” Derreck said, smirking to himself. No doubt thinking how clever he is.

“Sounds great.” The girl said. “I’ve got some left over party favors, are you down?”

“Always. Give me a couple hours to get away from work, I’ll be right there.” He lied before hanging up.

If Matt didn’t think Derreck was a piece of shit before, he certainly did now. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind that he would hurt y/n again sooner or later. So he stayed and listened and waited.

Y/n came back not long after with a six-pack in hand. She went inside and handed a beer to Derreck before excusing herself to their bedroom where she tried to resume her painting. It didn’t take long for that to blow up into an argument.

“It’s like you don’t ever want to spend time with me!” Derreck yells in her face.

“Of course I want to spend time with you, I just have deadlines I need to meet.” Y/n calmly explains. She stands up from where she sat in front of her easel and walks toward him. “I only need one more hour and then we can do anything you want.” She reaches for his hand and tries to kiss him, but he just scoffs and jerks away.

Derreck turns as if he’s about to leave the room, then suddenly his fist is moving through the air and landing on y/n’s cheek.

Matt flinches as he hears the thud her body makes when it connects with the ground, and he feels rage like never before. He shot up from the stool at his kitchen counter and made a beeline for the chest where he stores his alter ego. While he quickly dresses in the all black outfit, he listens for whatever happens next in the neighboring apartment.

Y/n was still on the floor, breathing heavily and clutching the left side of her face. Derreck was spewing profanities at her, telling her to ‘get up’ and ‘stop being so dramatic.’ When she didn’t respond, he gripped her shirt and yanked her into a standing position. “Answer me god damn it!” Then he grabbed her by the throat and pushed her against the nearest wall.

“I c- I can’t breathe.” Was all she managed to get out in a wheezing voice.

Matt finished pulling the mask down over his eyes and nearly bust open his own door trying to get over there quickly. Then he actually did bust open y/n’s door. The lock broke with a loud crash and he didn’t bother saying anything in response to the shocked “What the hell?!” that was elicited from Derreck.

He strided over to where Derreck was still holding her in their bedroom, then kicked him in the back, _hard_. Y/n slid her back down the wall until she was sat on the floor where she gasped for breath.

“What the fuck! Who are you-” Derreck said as he stood back up, but Matt silenced him with a punch to the face. “Ah! Fuck!”

“You’re going to leave her alone.” Matt stated while dragging the bleeding man out into the living room. He threw him into their coffee table that broke underneath the sudden weight. Derreck rolled onto his side and grabbed the splintered wooden leg of the now-ruined table and swung it at Matt’s leg. It hit him with enough force to bring him to his knees and Derreck used that advantage to headbutt him.

Matt’s head flew back and landed on the floor with a resounding thud. Then Derreck stumbled to his feet and was standing over him, getting ready to bring his fist down on his face. Matt quickly moved out of range and Derreck’s hand collided with the ground, resulting in a broken finger. “Shit!” He yelled.

Matt stood up and kicked Derreck in the stomach while he was distracted, nursing his bloody hand. Then he wrapped an arm around Derreck’s neck and pulled him upright. “Are you going to stop?” The response he got was a hard kick to his foot which stunned him enough to loosen his grip. Derreck lunged towards the kitchen and pulled out a knife.

“You want her so bad, you can fucking have her!” Derreck yelled and then proceeded to slash the knife towards Matt’s chest. It missed, just barely, and Matt used the force behind his swing to leverage the man to the floor yet again. Matt kicked the knife from Derreck’s hand and then leaned all of his weight onto it with his knee.

“I said, are you going to stop?” His voice was laced with more anger than ever before, dripping with venom. Derreck didn’t answer for a moment, just panting heavily and muttering curses under his breath. Matt removed himself from his former position so that he could twist Derreck’s arm behind his back. “Answer me!” Matt yelled.

Derreck screamed out in pain. “Fuck! Fine! Yes, I’ll stop! Just let me go you fucking psycho!” Matt let him go and threw him back on the ground. He stopped trying to get up and fight after that, seemingly resigned to his defeat as he gasped in breath after breath, laying on his stomach.

Matt leaned down next to him and said in a volume just barely above a whisper, “Stay down.” Then he stood up straight, remembering the reason he came here in the first place is still in that bedroom, beaten and crying on the floor.

Matt swallows the lump in his throat and takes careful steps towards y/n. He walks past the threshold that separates the living room from the bedroom and surveys the damage. The room is tidy, contrasting the hurricane-like mess he just left right outside the door. He walks over to where she’s still sat, curled in on herself and shaking. Matt kneels down beside her and, as gently as possible, lays a hand on her shoulder. Y/n jumps back, hitting her back against the wall hard.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay. You’re okay.” He says, having retracted his hand, but leaving it in the air between them to show that he means no harm. “I’m going to check your injuries and then we’re going to call the police, alright?”

“No, no, please no police. I can’t- I don’t want to-” She says frantically, her mind racing at a mile a minute.

“We have to tell them what happened here so that he can be put away. Neither of us want what happened to you to happen to someone else, right?” Matt speaks in the softest voice he can manage after the beating he just gave/got.

It takes y/n a minute to gather her thoughts. She’s still anxious, looking over Matt’s shoulder like at any second Derreck will come back and kill her. He would never let that happen. “Okay,” She breathes out.

“Can you stand?” He asks her.

Y/n only nods, then moves to get up by herself, but the action makes her dizzy and she stumbles a bit. Matt’s quick to hold her up. “Careful. Take a seat on the bed, let me take a look at that.” He motions towards her face and neck. She lets him lead her over to the edge of the bed where they both sit down.

Matt brushes her hair gingerly away from her face and then runs a gloved hand along her left cheek. He can tell there are large bruises forming beneath her eye as well as across her throat. It makes him want to shell out a few more kicks to Derreck’s ribs, but he withholds the urge.

Instead, Matt just asks, “How long has this been happening?”

Y/n swallows and takes a deep breath in an attempt to calm her nerves. “A couple months. I-it’s never been this bad though, he just… he gets angry easily.”

“That isn’t a good enough reason to hurt you.” She says nothing in response to that. “Do you have a first aid kit?” She nods and motions toward the bathroom connected to the bedroom.

Matt makes his way inside and finds what he’s looking for in the medicine cabinet. He returns as fast as possible and sits back down beside her. “I’m going to clean that cut on your cheek so it doesn’t get infected.” He dabs a cotton ball into the rubbing alcohol and places it gently against her face. She winces with a light intake of breath and he can’t help but cringe a little at the response.

“Sorry.” He says.

“It’s okay. Thank you.” Y/n lets him bandage her wrist as well, which was swollen from earlier that morning. “Who are you?” She finally asks after a few minutes of silence.

“A friend.” Matt replies honestly. He isn’t sure how well she would respond to finding out that her blind next door neighbor just beat up her boyfriend and is now nursing her wounds. Though he knew he may not be able to hide it from her for long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think there's going to be only one more chapter after this to wrap everything up. I would really like to know what ya'll think of the story so far. It's not the first fanfiction I've ever written, but it is the first I've ever posted on here so that's exciting.
> 
> Also, if you want, you can leave requests for Matt/reader prompts and, depending on how much I like it, I could turn it into a one-shot or a multi-chapter story :)
> 
> Thanks for reading this far


	6. Chapter 6

When Matt heard the police cars arrive outside the building, he reluctantly pulled away from y/n who was leaning her head on his chest, too tired to do much else.

“Hey.” He whispered. “It’s time for me to go.”

Y/n looked up at him and nodded. “Thanks again. For everything.” She was so quiet, her voice one octave above a whisper.

Matt wanted nothing more than to stay here and hold her and tell her everything would be alright. But he knew that he wouldn’t be able to do that anyways if the cops arrested him.

“I’ll always be around if you need me.” He said before slipping out the bedroom window seconds before men in uniforms poured into the apartment.

Matt snuck around the building and climbed up the fire escape to his window. He changed into his normal clothes quickly in case the police had questions for him. It turns out they did, and he was more than willing to corroborate y/n’s story with the things he’d heard.

Derreck was arrested and charged with domestic violence assault which would keep him in county jail for the next six to twelve months.

It took some convincing, but y/n decided to file for a restraining order, which Matt was more than willing to help with. They stayed in his apartment, going over the appropriate forms that still needed to be filled out.

“This is the first time I’ve been over here. It’s nice.” Y/n says, taking in her surroundings while sitting criss-cross on the floor by his coffee table.

“Is it? I’ve heard it leaves something to be desired.” He smiles in response as he walks toward her with a glass of water in hand.

She lets out a breathy laugh and takes the water from him. “Nah. The simpler the better, I think. Though I wouldn’t be opposed to some artwork on the walls.”

“Well maybe you could sell me something.” Matt says, sitting down next to her.

“After everything you’re doing for me, I think a free painting is the least I could do.”

“Ah, this? This is nothing. I’m just glad you’re safe.”

There’s a stretch of silence for a bit, both unsure of what to say next. Then y/n is reaching her hand over to take his which he gladly accepts. She’s warm and her pulse is racing.

“I really appreciate it. I just need you to know that.”

“Y/n…” Matt trails off, unsure of how to respond. His hand slowly works its way up the length of her arm until it finds the side of her neck. Her breathing’s uneven and she’s biting her lip. It makes his own heart beat faster. Then he’s leaning in gradually, giving her time to pull away if she wants to. But she doesn’t.

Matt’s lips slide over y/n’s softly. She sighs contentedly into him and brings her hands up to cup his face. It’s slow and deliberately sweet and he feels a weight lift off his chest. He’s just _so happy_. Then they have to break apart because they’re both smiling the widest smiles and it’s becoming harder to keep contact. He settles for leaning his forehead against hers so they can both catch their breaths.

He hears her exhale the softest laugh. “I’ve been thinking about doing that. Maybe longer than I should have.”

“Me too.” Matt says, elated. He pulls back a little, still cradling her neck. His thumb runs over the bruise that’s still healing under her eye and his jaw clenches. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

Y/n closes her eyes and leans into his touch. “I am now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this last chapter is short, but I think it's a calm end to a pretty angsty fic lol
> 
> Thank you for reading :)
> 
> Leave a request if you'd like and lemme know what you thought of the story


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